Ros-Lehtinen: Indictment of Iran over bombing in Argentina reveals its infiltration into Latin America

“This indictment reaffirms the fact that Iran’s dual use of diplomatic and cultural offices is utilized to deepen its infiltration into the Hemisphere.”

(WASHINGTON) – Today U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee (MENA), commented on the recently published indictment by Alberto Nisman, Special Prosecutor for the 1994 attack on the Argentina Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in which he accuses Iran of infiltrating several South American countries and seeking to foster terrorist attacks in the region. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:

“I’m deeply troubled by the findings by Alberto Nisman, whose 500-page indictment cites extensive evidence of Iran’s ‘intelligence and terrorist network’ in various Latin American nations. This report shows clearly that the 1994 AMIA bombing was not an isolated event, but rather that it was part of a larger and still ongoing scheme by the Iranian regime and its proxies to expand their influence in the Western Hemisphere and threaten U.S. security interests in the region.

“This indictment reaffirms the fact that Iran’s dual use of diplomatic and cultural offices is utilized to deepen its infiltration into the Hemisphere. In particular, the indictment implicates the fugitive Mohsen Rabbani, the mastermind behind the AMIA bombing, as the primary coordinator of Iran’s nefarious activities in the region. Another disturbing example cited in the indictment which demonstrates the scope of Iran’s activities is that of the two Guyanese men who were convicted in 2010 for conspiring to carry out a terrorist attack on JFK airport in New York. These examples underscore the danger that the Iranian regime presents not only through its nuclear program, but also through its unrelenting efforts to export its violent radicalism to our own Hemisphere.

“I commend Special Prosecutor Nisman for continuing its investigation into this matter and I encourage him to come to Washington, DC to educate Congress and this Administration on the real threats that Iran and its proxies pose to the U.S. and our Hemisphere. I urge this Administration and all responsible nations in the region to dedicate their law enforcement and counterterrorism efforts to rooting out this grave threat once and for all.”